A CAMPAIGN has begun to save Merseyside’s Rolls-Royce plant and the jobs of 220 highly-skilled engineers.

The company confirmed the staff’s worse fears late yesterday when it issued 90 days’ notice to staff in a move to shut the site and take its work to America.

Although workers and unions said the announcement came as a shock, it had been anticipated after Rolls-Royce began a review in August of the plant in Netherton, which makes turbines for the oil and energy sectors.

And a leaked management memo detailed the case to switch work to a site in Mount Vernon, Ohio, to reduce currency costs caused by the pound’s strength against the US dollar.

As soon as the 90-day notice was issued by Rolls-Royce, Unite, the Union, announced a campaign to oppose the closure.

Regional officer Debbie Brannan said: “We are shocked, but not surprised by the company’s plan to close its Merseyside plant but this is the beginning of our fightback, not the end.

“We will not stand by and watch our members lose their jobs and see another vital manufacturing plant lost. Our campaign to save the plant will reach out to Westminster and to industry and we will also be seeking the council and local people's support to keep the plant going.

“We will do everything in our power to stop the closure of the site and we ask the people and politicians of Merseyside to join us in doing the same.”

The union said it will be calling for support from government ministers, local MPs and the energy industry clients the plant serves. It is also planning a petition to encourage the general public to support the campaign to fight the closure.

Bosses want to begin a phased closure of the site from June next year to March 2009.

A Rolls-Royce spokesman said: “Since August we have been engaged in preliminary consultation and dialogue with employee representatives.

“While there have been productive discussions around possible alternatives to address the issues of capacity, cost and currency, no viable solution has yet been found.

“Today, we announced to the workforce our intention to enter into formal consultation on a proposal to close Liverpool and concentrate our energy packaging operations out of an existing US facility. It is expected that the consultation process will not be concluded until after the beginning of the New Year.”

Bootle Labour MP Joe Benton said he is meeting with union leaders today and next week will see John Hutton, Business, Innovation and Regulatory Reform Secretary. Mr Benton said: “It is not over yet. We are talking about hi-tech jobs. Bootle and Merseyside cannot afford to lose this expertise and talent.”

‘We feel we are just being thrown on the scrap heap’

WORKERS at Netherton’s Rolls-Royce plant last night told how they felt betrayed by the decision to close their factory.

News was first broken to union reps at 1.30pm, half an hour later the shop floor was told and at 2.30pm office staff were informed.

After leaving the main shift at 4.15pm, Joe Birch, 57, a Unite union rep at the factory, said there were many workers like himself who would be made redundant for the second time from the same building if the closure went ahead.

He said: “We are stunned. Even though we have been aware of what’s been coming, when it actually happens it shocks you.

“I suppose anger will come later, but it’s only sinking in at the moment.”

In 1970, six months after completing his five-year apprenticeship, Mr Birch was made redundant when the English Electric run plant closed.

He has worked at the factory as a welder for seven years this time round, but also worked at the plant between 1996 and 1998 when it was owned by Coopers Energy.

Fellow shop steward Dermot Finn, 49, has worked at the factory for eight years.

He said: “The timing does not help, even though the redundancies will not start until after Christmas.

“There are guys who have been working here for 30 years and now their time will be taken up in the George in Crosby instead of training lads here.”

Another worker in his 50s who asked not to be named said: “There is a terrific workforce here, we do a better job than America.

“We feel we are just being thrown on the scrap heap, but mainly it’s the loss of manufacturing jobs pouring out of Britain.

“The plant is falling apart, the roof leaks and the company just can’t wait to get out of here and over to America.”

Another worker said: “No body expects a job for life, but when I came here a number of years ago I expected a good run.

“This is a blue chip company we are talking about, and you don’t expect a blue chip company to drop you like a hot potato.”